We can say it again…..what a difference a day makes – referring to the weather of course. Yesterday was beyond sweltering, but today it was almost chilly. Having sailed in a northwesterly direction, we have left the coastline behind. Early in the morning there was still some of that hazy-sand in the air, but the worst of the oppressive heat was gone.
The swells and waves were such that we were getting the spray coming up to our veranda, where it felt almost like rain. Sure cooled things off in a hurry. We are not complaining either. The rocking of the ship must have kept most folks sleeping later, since the Pinnacle Grill was very quiet at breakfast. After such a hot day yesterday, we even felt the effects of it. Those who had stayed onboard, of which there were many, had the best idea.
This morning we all had to pick up our passports and the yellow fever certificates they had collected a while ago. This was done on each passenger deck and was completed by 10am. We will not need them in the next two ports.
Someone took so many photos yesterday, it took the better part of the day to sort through them. That worked out fine since the other one of us continued with the packing. Just doing a few things here and there, we filled another bag. There are few days left now, and we had to decide what to keep out and what to pack. Taking the shirts down over the bed made the room look so plain and half empty. It takes more time than you would think, so it is good to do at least one piece of luggage a day.
Captain Friso sounded the noon horn as he always does on sea days. Then he came on with positive news about the weather, which has been causing some swells like 6 to 7 feet. He expects the rolling to subside when we get nearer to the Cape Verde Islands. He also explained why he had to blow the horn several times after leaving the port yesterday. There were some fishermen with nets casted that were not moving out of the shipping lane. It is narrow, so they must have moved at the last minute. We cannot stop on a dime, and the locals should know that.
The Captain continued with the plans for tomorrow. He will be opening the bow once again for scenic cruising. That might be nice if the sun comes up early. Yesterday it was still dark at 6am. The port times will be short, but he does plan on bunkering fuel to make it across the Atlantic.
At 4pm, we were invited to Mariner Event held in the Crow's Nest. Our group of President's Club members were cordoned off in a center section with the offer of Veuve Cliquot champagne (no sparkling wine). We sat with Don, Suzanne and Leon, and Mary and Joe, who we met while on the Tales of the South Pacific cruise last fall. All of us were offered some small but odd canapies. Better to stick with the mixed nuts…at least we know what they are. Others in attendance were the 5 star members, but we are not sure if there were any other groups included. There was not enough room for more folks.
The usual welcome talks were delivered, then each PC member was recognized by their number of actual sea days. The two of us and Don were the last ones announced. Photos were taken with the Captain and Henk M. standing behind each couple or single person. Instead of us going to them, they came to us. Actually, a better idea today since the rolling of the ship was much more pronounced up on deck ten.
Dinner for us was supposed to be in the Pinnacle Grill, which was Tamarind cuisine tonight. When we found out they were serving a full turkey dinner in the dining room, we changed our minds, and called guest services to inform Tina we would be cancelling our dinner there. They said it was done, but around 8:30pm, Tina showed up at our table and asked if we were OK. For some strange reason, she had not gotten the message that we had cancelled. Turkey dinner has not been served here for a long time, so it was special.
We caught up with Kimberly's talk on Mindelo after dinner on TV. We have been to this port in the past, but it has been a long time ago. All aboard will be 2:30pm, so we will have most of the morning there to explore. At least the temperature should be in the 70's. Fine with us.
Bill & Mary Ann
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